Chevy Camaro Z28 BMR Adjustable Torque Arm Install - 1SC-YA

No Hop, A Shift-And A Low 12s Jump?

Those of you who remember the 12.4 at 112 miles an hour that this LS1 F-body pulled out last time at E-Town might recall that there were some wheelhop problems on burnout and launch. With one call to BMR Fabrication, I acquired some seriously beefy parts to strengthen the suspension: an adjustable torque arm and BMR's new billet lower control arms.

Additionally, it appears that the road-course abuse I've heaped on the stock clutch hydraulics and aftermarket fluid has caught up to it: shifting has become noticeably notchy, and powershifting just isn't happening at the strip.

With time running short before delving into a big project with this ride, I turned to TT Performance Parts to install the BMR goodies, as well as diagnose and attempt to fix the hydraulics issue, in the hopes of having a solid dragstrip performance. Check out the captions to see how we did.

24/25

With this attachment, after vacuum is made in the line, Nick pinches the line on the Mityvac and lifts the line out: This allows the vacuum to suck the new fluid down into the slave cylinder from the reservoir cup. The Mityvac can suck the fluid from the line directly without affecting the level in the reservoir; he does this several times, as there are air bubbles in the hose. My system took about 12 ounces of new fluid. The cap is replaced, and the clutch pedal is now firm where it was a bit spongy before. Powershifting restored...

25/25

Street-feel with the new BMR LCAs and torque arm? Quieter without the wimpy stock control arms flailing around, and it felt more tied together, especially over rough pavement. Back at Raceway Park, a hard line lock burnout showed that the new suspension pieces banished the wheelhop for good. A slow 12.80/111.48 with a throwaway 60-foot started me off, and the backup run clicked with a wheel-spinning 1.78 short time and a new best e.t.: 12.33 at 111.57 mph-a tenth better than last time, with no more hop in those lower gears. It was looking like it was going to be a very low 12-second day ... However, subsequent tries had me dialing Second but no one was home-the clutch gremlins were still hangin' on. Though the logical next step would be adjustable hydraulics, I've been putting off a major project for some time now, so I'll be jumping into it, with a new clutch unit thrown in the mix. Tune in next time-this one's gonna be fun...